A free country

MANY readers have written and e-mailed to express their disgust at our report last week about Peter Helm, the Northumberland man whose prized goshawk was snatched in a combined police/RSPB dawn raid.

Big Bertha subsequently died in police custody in mysterious circumstances and the police have refused to give further details about their lethal blunder. So far, they have blamed the death on a local vet whom they retained to examine the bird. The Daily Telegraph has been in contact with the vet - who acknowledges he has no expertise in caring for birds of prey - but he has been barred by the police from talking publicly about the case.

Mr Helm is reviewing his legal options, and several readers have offered to contribute to a legal fund to defray any costs of litigation. (Mr Helm makes a modest living harvesting moss in the Kielder Forest.) His story has now been taken up by the Newcastle press. Northumbria police are adamant there will be no review of animal protection procedures, or disciplining of its officers who took part in the raid. An apology from the police, or from the RSPB - one of whose investigators took part in the snatch operation - also seems to be out of the question.

Officials from both organisations prefer to imply Mr Helm still has something to hide, even though he was never interviewed, never mind charged with any offence relating to his legally registered goshawk. The police and RSPB strategy would seem to be brutally simple: first they kill a man's bird, then they seek to disparage him.